The End Where I Begin
by Rhithlun
Summary: A look at what would have happened if Hermione followed her heart and protected the ones she cared about after the Battle at the Ministry. Eventual H/Hr
1. The Calm Before

Unlike everyone else, Hermione wasn't surprised by Harry's outburst. She was astonished that they actually believed that he would take the news calmly. Even though Harry had a horrible childhood, he truly cared about his friends and family. The fact that he had risked his friends and lost Sirius because of Dumbledore's lies hurt him. He was angry that the delusions of an old man had cost him so much. Yes, the ministry acknowledged Voldemort now. Yes, some of the Death Eaters were locked up. But in the end, Harry would have rather died himself then let Sirius do so.

More than anything, Hermione wished she hadn't been unconscious when Harry had confronted Dumbledore. She tried to reason that she felt that way because she could have comforted him, but honestly, she wanted to send a few hexes Dumbledore's way too. Still, as soon as she got out of the Hospital Wing, she would confront the old man.

Hermione's current problem was convincing her bull-headed friends to let her go.

"But Mione! You can't go by yourself! You'll get hurt."

She sighed and turned to face her best friend. "Ron, I'll be fine," she said, trying to reassure him. "I can walk up a few sets of stairs. Besides, you need to stay here with Harry."

After the traumatic meeting in the Headmaster's office, Harry had passed out from magic loss. He was now lying in the Hospital Wing. Since she had a pretty good idea on how much power Harry had, she was sure that Dumbledore's office must be trashed.

"You know he'll be mad if you leave before he can see you." said Ron, in another effort to convince her.

She rolled her eyes. "I can take Harry. No matter what we do, you know he's going to be... off."

Last year, when Cedric died, Harry had been a wreck. Now that his godfather was dead, he would be much, much worse.

Ron gave up. "Fine." he stated wearily. "Just try to come back soon."

"I'll try, but this conversation needs to happen."

**AN****: ****I****, ****of****course****, ****do****not****own****Harry****Potter****in****any****way****, ****shape****or****form****.**

**This****is****my****first****story****, ****so****any****advice****or****criticisms****would****be****welcome****.**

**Review****please****! ****Next****update****in****a****day****or****two****.**


	2. The Reckoning

Chapter 2: The Reckoning

Hermione made her way up the countless stairs gingerly, trying not to strain her wound. If she was being honest, she would admit that Ron was right. It didn't matter though. Harry was her first concern right now, and that meant confronting the man behind the curtain.

"Fizzing Whizzbee" she said to the gargoyle, trying to curb the irritation in her voice. Dumbledore's passwords irked her and her inner dentist-child, but she couldn't waste time thinking about that. Once it moved aside, she stepped forward and begin the climbing the stairs. Dumbledore had set up a charm allowing him to know who was approaching his office. That was how he always knew who was coming - at least, according to Harry. It seemed plausible to assume that the old man already knew who was approaching.

She stopped outside of the imposing door and schooled her face into a neutral expression. It wouldn't do to let him know what was coming before it was time. After calming herself down, she knocked on the door.

After she heard the cheery "Come in," she slipped inside the ornate office. A quick glance revealed to her that Dumbledore hadn't attempted to fix anything after Harry's attack. She wondered idly if the wreckage was supposed to be a reminder to him, or if that's what he wanted others to believe.

A cough and a benign smile interrupted her thoughts.

"Hello Miss Granger."

She inclined her head. "Headmaster," she said, meeting his eyes. They appeared to be so kind and caring, but she wouldn't fall for it. Not anymore.

"Please, sit. How can I help you?" said Dumbledore, gesturing to the squashy armchair in front of his desk.

Hermione carefully stepped her way through all the debris on the floor. "Thank you sir. I had a few questions to ask you, about the ministry battle," she replied, trying situate herself comfortably. She made a mental note to ask Madame Pomfrey for more pain relieving potions, or brew her own.

Dumbledore smiled in his grandfatherly way. "Of course! Please ask anything. I mean to approach you and others as soon as Poppy would allow me. Lemon drop?" he said.

"No thank you," she declined, smirking on the inside. Like other Muggle children, she had been taught at an early age to never accept candy from strangers. While Dumbledore didn't fit the image exactly, the lemon drops gave her the same sense of uneasiness. He may not kidnap her, but they weren't filled with good intentions. She had visited his office in third year to go over the stipulations that came with the Time Turner, and the candy had evoked the same reaction. She had discreetly secreted away a few to test, and discovered a diluted form of the Suadibilis potion, which made the drinker more susceptible to suggestions. After that, she never accepted anything from the old man.

"I only have one question for you. How do you live with yourself?" she asked steadily, not flinching from his blue eyes.

""Excuse me?" he responded, looking mildly taken back.

Screw civility. She needed to show Dumbledore the exact consequences of his actions. " Harry trusted you. We all did. He never had a family - just those abusive idiots you left him with. But he didn't care. He honestly believed that you were helping him. You were one of the only people he truly trusted. Sirius was the only link he had to his family. And now, he's gone. Harry won't ever forgive you for that, for putting the ones he loved in danger. The entire year, you've separated yourself from him, and pushed him into thinking rashly. Do you even know what Umbridge has done to him? But he accepted it. Now? No. Its over Headmaster. He won't ever believe in you again, maybe not even anyone else," she stated, making sure her tone didn't change.

Through the past 5 years, Hermione had seen Dumbledore many times. But today, he looked far older than he ever had. The twinkle in his eyes disappeared and he dropped his gaze from hers.

"Miss Granger... I'm not proud of what I have done in the best. My actions are for the greater good and - " he stopped and sighed. "And I know you don't understand them. But please trust that everything I did was to protect him."

She stood up and stared at him in disbelief. "Then tell me. Tell me why you make Harry go through this, why you make his every summer a living hell. Tell me!"

"The information is dangerous. I will not put you in danger," explained Dumbledore, trying to regain control of the conversation.

Hermione laughed coldly. "Do you really think I'm safe right now? I'm Harry Potter's best friend, the Gryffindor mudblood know-it-all. I'm one of the biggest targets in the school. And honestly? I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've faced danger so many times for Harry and I will be at his side till the end, " she exclaimed angrily.

"I know, I know," conceded Dumbledore, "but if I explain my reasons to you, you must help me persuade Harry to return the Privet Drive for the summer."

Honestly, Hermione sometimes wondered if the old man had been Slytherin instead of a Gryffindor. It was a shame he wasn't the only time. "Of course," she replied, choosing her words carefully, "I will help make sure he returns."

Dumbledore looked at her warily, before nodding and began to explain the prophecy and the consequences surrounding it. Hermione listened quietly, without interrupting. When he finished, she gave him a tired smile.

"Thank you. I need to return to Harry now, but I won't reveal any of this to him." she assured him. At least, not yet, she thought inwardly.

"Thank you, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore, reverting back to the formality they used at the beginning of the conversation. She nodded, and walked out.

AN: I own absolutely nothing relating to Harry Potter, sadly...

Next chapter will be up in a day or two. Thank you to everyone who put this story on alert, favorites, or reviewed. Please review with comments or concerns - I'm a bit worried about the dialogue and feedback would be amazing.


	3. The Reunion

Hermione entered the Hospital Wing only to be greeted by a furious mediwitch. Madame Pomfrey immediately made her lie down, spelled her so she couldn't leave her bed and cast a few diagnostic spells. She then force-fed Hermione several vile potions. After she was satisfied that Hermione wouldn't die, she left, muttering about "hexing the old fool."

After she left, Hermione turned to the bed next to her. She smiled slightly when she saw the dark haired boy curled up there. "I know you're faking it Harry. And I'm sure that after treating you so often Madame Pomfrey knows too."

A pair of emerald eyes gazed back at her, hurt evident. "I can't believe you would leave like that! I thought you were dead Mione. Dead. I wake up just to find out that you lived just so you could risk yourself again." Harry replied angrily, turning away from her.

Hermione sighed. "Harry," she said softly, "Harry please. Come over here and I'll explain." He reluctantly got up and sat on the side of her bed. "Look at me, please. I didn't mean to scare you. There was something I needed to discuss with Dumbledore."

"Why couldn't it wait till you were better? Hermione, do you know how bad the effects of the curse could have been?" exclaimed Harry.

"I'm fine! Nothing happened. And besides, there are a few things that are more important," argued Hermione.

"Please Mione." whispered Harry. "Nothing can be more important then you staying safe. What was so urgent that it couldn't wait.?"

The one thing Hermione hated more than anything was lying to Harry, but she couldn't tell him the truth yet. "I was scared about the others, Harry. I wanted to make sure they were protecting the families. The Death Eaters might go after my parents or the Weasleys in retaliation. I just needed to check." she replied, draping one hand over his shoulder. "Besides, I don't think you can judge me too harshly, seeing as you've been passed out for a day from magical exhaustion."

Harry tried to smile, but ended up with a twisted grimince. "I was just so mad!"

"You want to explain what happened?" asked Hermione, pulling him closer.

"He knew that Voldemort wanted the prophecy. He knew that we were leaving and that we would bet ambushed in the Ministry. Snape told him everything, but Dumbledore told him not to interfere. If Snape hadn't warned Moony...The Order may not have come in time. Dumbledore could have stopped us, but it was just like every other year. He claims that we needed to fight this, and that more people would have been hurt, like was. I...I don't know Hermione. I just couldn't take the fact that Sirius..." he trailed off, and tried to blink away the wetness pooling his eyes.

Hermione squeezed his shoulder. "I know. I know. But we can't let the sacrifice Sirius made for us be for nothing. He loved you Harry. I know that he would never regret helping you. It wasn;t your fault."

"But it was! I should have known that something was off. I should have been better at Occlumency. Even if Dumbledore didn't tell us, I should have known."

"Harry," whispered Hermione, turning his head so that she could look into his eyes. "You know that's not true. We all fell for the trick. And I bet Sirius would be so mad to see you upset. None of us blame you, and we would all do it again."

Harry just nodded, struggling to control his emotions.

It's okay to be sad. You don't need to hide your tears."

With that, Harry abandoned all semblance of control. Curled up next to his friend, he mourned his godfather.

Two days later, Hermione was finally officially discharged from the hospital wing. After shaking off her friends, she made her way up to the owlery. The chaos of the tower was, strangely enough, comforting to her. The owls didn't seem to think anything had changed over the past few days - and they seemed to be the only ones in the castle who thought so. The Gryffindors had become uncontrollable, pestering them for answers. The Slytherins had banded together to make life hard for them, and both Neville and Luna had been attacked in the hallways. Hermione was sick of the craziness.

In the owlery, she chose two large barn owls that belonged to the school. She needed to contact her parents, and make sure they were aware of everything that happened. Last summer, she had Tonks set up several wards to protect her parents, both at home and at work. While the Death Eaters could break through them, she knew that the Order would be alerted in time to stop them. For now, she couldn't risk anything more noticable.

As she watched the owl fly off, her thoughts turned to the other owl she was holding. She had never met the person she was writing to, but they had expressed interest in her before. They were her last resort to help Harry, but the events of the past week may have changed their opinions. They were the only group that had enough power to be independent from both the Order and Voldemort. Deciding that she had no choice, she told the owl where to go, and watched as it too flew off into the bright sky.

AN: Any ideas as to who Hermione's writing to? I'm curious to see if anyone guesses it. Next update will be tomorrow if someone guesses correctly or if I get another 10 reviews. Otherwise, it will be up Wednesday.

I still do not own any of this, but I would love to meet the one who does.

To clarify: Ignore everything written by J.K. Rowling after Battle at the Ministry. Harry does explode Dumbledore's office after the battle, but the conversation's a bit different. This isn't going to be just like the books - I'm tweaking stuff to take it in a different direction. My Dumbledore is grey, but the potion mentioned last chapter only serves to make the drinker more agreeable to suggestions. The form Dumbledore uses is diluted, so it would only affect people slightly, and only the younger students would be noticeably affected.

Review please! Comments, questions, concerns, flames - all are welcome :) This is my first fic, so I'd love suggestions on how to improve my writing.


	4. The Plan

It wasn't until two days before the term ended that Hermione worked up the courage to confront Harry. She knew what needed to be said, but she didn't want to ruin his somewhat good mood. After the battle, Harry's mood kept fluctuating. He didn't seem to be in need of a suicide watch, but he often fell quiet in the middle of conversations and tried to avoid interacting with any outside of the group from the battle.

"Come on Harry! Just play already," urged Ron, who, like everyone else, was doing his best to cheer up Harry. The trio and Ginny were relaxing by the fire in the Gryffindor common room. Everyone had acknowledged that they deserved to relax the most. Neville

"Ugh. You know you're going to win!" retorted Harry playfully. "Fine, Queen to D4," which let Ron checkmate him. "I give up."

As the boys began to reset the board, Hermione gave Ginny a look. The redhead immediately said "Can I play Ron? It might be good to give Harry a better chance it winning... not that he will."

"You're on Gin!" said Harry, giving her his best game face, which caused the rest of them to crack up. "What? I'm not that bad."

"Of course, you aren't Harry. Er, Ron? Would you mind coming with me to greenhouses? I think I left my herbology book there." said Hermione, in a not-so-subtle effort to get Ron on his own.

Ron, who was now lounging in an armchair, looked up at her. "Aww, come on Mione. Can't you …" he yelped, as Ginny stepped on his foot. "I mean, yeah sure. Let's go."

The two of them grabbed their cloaks and walked out of the portrait hole, with Ron muttering about "nutty sisters" the entire time.

As soon as they walked about 10 meters away from the Fat Lady, Ron immediately turned to Hermione, and said "Alright, what did you need to say? You never let your books out of your sight."

Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him into an empty classroom. "We need to talk about Harry and this summer."

"Ah. Is Dumbledore making him go back to the Dursley's," asked Ron, immediately seeing the problem. "They'd destroy him."

"I know, but Dumbledore's determined to make him go back. But I was thinking... going back doesn't necessarily mean staying there. I have a plan to get him out."

By this time in their friendship, Ron knew better then to doubt her plans. "What do you need me to do?" he asked, leaning back on one of the desks.

"I need you to help me convince Harry. And..." she turned away from him. "I need you to stay at Grimmauld Place."

"You don't want me to come?" Ron said, struggling to not start yelling.

"I need you to stay there, and tell us what the Order's doing. Keep us updated."

One of the things Hermione admired about Ron was his ability to think tactically. After the chaos of last year, he had made a genuine effort to control his temper. It didn't always work, but she could tell he was carefully considering the implications of this.

"So You need me to spy...Where will you two be?"

Hermione sighed. This was currently the weakest part of her plan, but it was also their best chance. "I've contacted a third party, someone neutral. They would be able to train him and keep us hidden. I'm positive that the Dursley's won't be an issue."

"Who?" Ron got up and walked next to her. "I'll do it, but I want to know who. You need to trust me with that much."

"If I do, will you swear not to tell?" asked Hermione.

"Of course I won't!" exclaimed Ron, mildly insulted.

"No, I mean will you _swear_? As in, an Unbreakable Oath. It's the only way to keep the information safe. Your magic will make a shield around the memory to protect you from Legilimency and death. We can't risk Dumbledore finding out."

Ron was silent for a moment. Then he nodded.

"It's the Unspeakables." she whispered, scanning his face for a reaction.

"The Unspeakables? Aren't they just Ministry minions?"

Hermione shook her head. "The Wizengamot made them a separate entity in 1823, to prevent the Ministry from gaining control. They don't have limitless power, but no one can honestly question them, except for maybe the Queen."

"Okay... but why would they help? We sort of just trashed their headquarters."

Hermione winced. That was one of her major concerns. "Harry. They would want to learn more about him, and they don't support Voldemort either. They might be able to tell us how to defeat him. And..." she trailed off, staring at the floor. "They've contacted me before. Almost like early recruitment. They had heard about the stuff with the Sorcerer's Stone, and heard about my grades, and they were...interested I suppose. That's why they let me have the time-turner in 3rd year. It was almost like a trial run, to see if I could be responsible. That's also my trump card. I still have my time-turner, but we smashed their entire stock by accident. I think they would be pretty desperate to have it back."

Ron had a thoughtful look on his face. "That doesn't surprise me really. The Unspeakable are a bunch of smart mysterious people who are too curious for their own good. You'd fit right in," he joked, trying to make the conversation less serious. "Why can't they just take the Time-Turner."

"Well, they don't want just anyone to use it. I mean, how easy would it have been to steal it? Each Time-turner is blood-bound to the user. The only reason Harry could use it was because I was wearing it with him, and I turned the dials. If I wasn't in complete control, it wouldn't have worked. Voldemort could waltz in here and hex me all he wanted, but it wouldn't work unless it was my choice. They can't use it unless I relinquish all claims to it, which involves another blood-ritual." Hermione used her best know-it-all tone, in order to disguise how nervous she was. She wasn't actually too optimistic about any of this, but she didn't want anyone to know.

"This could work. I see why you don't want anyone to know. The last thing we need is for Dumbledore to know and decide to interfere. I'll give you the oath. And... I'll stay at Grimmauld Place."

Hermione hugged him. "Thank you Ron. There's a lot I need you to do there, but I'll explain later. First, we need to convince Harry without telling him about any of this. We can have Neville bind us in the oath. We can't tell him, Ginny or Luna what we're planning though."

"Hermione... what if they say no?" asked Ron, his face serious.

"I'm still going to rescue him. I'm not going to leave him in that hell-hole, not again."

AN: Sorry it took an extra day! My computer was down, so I couldn't get the chapter up. I feel so bad, especially since someone did guess right AND I got the ten story alerts I wanted (I accidently put reviews instead, lol)

I OWN NOTHING- It's all J.K. Rowlings. It makes me sad really.

Review, por favor? Feedback would be so helpful. How do y'all think Harry will react? Instead of posting quickly, I'm going to try to write a longer chapter and post sometime over the weekend. Is that a good idea?

Random question: Anyone on Pottermore? I beta-tested, but I feel like no one's into it anymore... Just Curious :)


	5. The Confrontation

Hermione and Ron headed back to the common room. Most of the students had left, but Ginny and Harry were still playing. A close look showed Hermione how rigid Harry's posture had become. He looked as if he could jump up and start fighting at the slightest hint of trouble. Hermione walked over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He tensed, but relaxed once he spotted who it was. After Harry had first told her about his relatives, Hermione had made it her personal goal to try to get him used to others and actions like hugging. It had been hard, especially after the Battle, but he was slowly becoming more used to it. Hermione was the only one who could get away with it without him freaking out.

Leaning against him, Hermione closed her eyes and waited for them to finish. As Ron shouted advice at the two of them, she could feel Harry slowly unwind and become more involved in the game. When she heard the chaotic sound of cheers and curses mixing, she opened her eyes to see Harry's castle check Ginny's king. She met the redhead's eyes and silently jerked her head towards the dormitories

"All right you lot. After that, I think I'm going to turn in. I'll see you all tomorrow," said Ginny cheerfully, jumping up from her seat.

"I'm not too tired, why don't we stay here in front of the fire?" suggested Hermione offhandedly, keeping her face blank. Ron and Harry gave her a subtle nod, recognizing the words they had used for years when one of them wanted to talk to the others without interference.

"I think I'll go grab us some hot chocolate from the kitchens. Can I use the cloak, Harry?" asked Ron, catching the garment that Harry threw at him. "Thanks mate."

Once Ron headed out, Hermione slipped around the couch and sat next to Harry. The two of them stared into the fire, not really talking.

"Harry?" begin Hermione slowly. "I was wondering... what are you planning on doing over summer?"

He shrugged. "I dunno... Maybe just kip over at the Burrow? I don't think I can return to Grimmauld Place."

"Well, what about the Dursleys?"

"What?" Harry turned to face her, shock evident on his face. "Why Hermione? Why would you want me to return there? Dumbledore, I can understand, but you..." he trailed off.

She sighed. "Harry, do you trust me?"

"Of course! With my life."

"Then you need to return to Privet Drive. Please, just trust me. I have a plan of sorts, but I need you to do this."

Harry didn't reply. He just stared into the fire, the fire where Sirius had once appeared in. They sat in silence until -

"Back you lot. They should still be warm!" Ron bounded back into the common room, displaying the early signs of a sugar rush. He stopped grinning when he took in their stiff postures. "Err, everything all right?"

"Its fine. Harry and I were just talking about this summer," replied Hermione, accepting one of the hot chocolates.

"Oh yeah... Look, mate, I know you don't want to go back, but I think Hermione's right. You need to," stated Ron, settling down next to Harry.

Harry let out his breath slowly. "You two were my first friends, and you're my best friends. I'll trust you on this one but..." he grabbed both of their hands. "Please don't let me down."

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It was the night before they left. Hermione stared out at the night sky. The cold musty air in the owlery made her shiver, but she didn't want to go down to the feast. She was still waiting for a response of any kind. No messages had arrived for her, and she was desperate. Plans needed to be finalized before they left. Ron had submitted to the oath, so that part was covered, but without any response from the Unspeakables, she would need to find a way to help Harry herself. Being herself, she already had a few plans, but they were vague.

Hedwig flew down and perched next to her.

"Hey girl," cooed Hermione, stroking her feathers. "Don't worry, I'll take care of Harry. I won't let him down."

"I don't think you really could," replied a voice mildly.

Hermione whirled around, wand out, and the incantation to a rather nasty curse on the tip her tongue. A dreamy looking Luna was behind her, clutching a bundle of rainbow wool.

"Oh, hello Luna!" exclaimed Hermione, reaching over to give the blonde girl a hug. "Why aren't you at the feast? And what on earth are you holding?"

A vague smile graced Luna's face. "I'm just searching for some of my things. My dormmates like to hide away my possessions, but I really do need them back before we leave." Her smile turned sad. "I did find my sweater though. It's a bit ripped up, but I'm sure I can fix it."  
Hermione's eyes narrowed. What Luna called "ripped up" was really just a pile of wool. "They take your things. Why? Have you told anyone?"

"It isn't really a huge deal. Everyone else just thinks I'm a bit odd. I find everything in the end normally. Su and Padma tried to help me, but their parents work with the ministry and the other girls caused problems for them."

"What are you missing?" demanded Hermione.

"Its really fi -"

"What. Are. You. Missing?"

"A few clothes, a couple left shoes, some hats, most of my books and my cloak." said Luna nervously - well, as nervous as Luna could ever be. "Really Hermione, you don't need to..." she trailed off, seeing the look on Hermione's face. Unlike most people, Hermione understood what Luna went through. That had been her all through grade school, until she met Harry and Ron. But she was stronger now, and she wouldn't let her friends suffer too.

"Accio Luna's stolen items!" whispered Hermione, her face showing no emotion. The two waited in silence for about 2 minutes, when they heard a whoooosh. A pile of stuff hurtled towards them, stopping 6 inches away from the end of her wand. "Come on Luna."

The two girls walked out of the owlery, the group of things hovering in front of them.

llllllllllllllllllllllll

Like the past four years, the Great Hall was decked in Gryffindor colors. Harry was just starting his second piece of treacle tart when the large wooden doors of the Great Hall opened up. His best friend stormed in with Luna trailing behind, a collection of strange objects floating in front of them. Every head in the hall turned around to see who caused the disturbance. Harry couldn't help but notice the look on Hermione's face, the one that he and Ron had nicknamed "Granger Danger." He winced. Her face was completely blank, devoid of emotion, except for her eyes, which were much darker than normal. He pitied whoever she was about to destroy. Hopefully, not literally.

"Miss Granger, Miss Lovegood, is there a reason for your...abrupt arrival?" queried Dumbledore genially.

"My mistake professor. I just wanted to ask you and the other staff members a question."

"And what might that be?"

"Don't you all feel a bit hypocritical in your opinions of Umbridge when you don't care about your students either?"

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I am so incredibly sorry for not updating! I ended up spending the summer with no internet access, so I couldn't update at all. I do promise weekly updates now though :) Review please? You can yell at me for not updating, or if you don't like the chapter, or just give me feedback. (I like the third one :P)


	6. The Revelation

A silence spread across the Great Hall. The students wouldn't dare miss anything like this. The school bookworm insulting the teachers? The rumors were already formulating.

"I don't think I understood you Miss Granger," said Dumbledore slowly, drawing out the words.

"Well then let me be clear sir," replied Hermione blithely, as she and Luna walked towards the front. "This Castle is supposed to be our home. We should feel safe here, but yet the staff allow bullies to torment others. Is it too much to ask for protection? And before you ask, yes, I do have a specific issue to address."

Hermione waved her wand, causing the cloud of objects over her head to spread out and become more visible. "These are a collection of items that all belong to Luna. People have been stealing them from her dormitory all year and hiding them."

Flitwick stood up, his hat teetering on his head. "Are you accusing my Claws of stealing her things, Miss Granger?" he asked. Everyone knew that the Heads of House were fiercely protective their students. Flitwick was no exception.

"If you are so sure that they aren't at fault, why don't you just find out?"

"And, how would you like us to do that?" asked McGonagall, joining the conversation that everyone in the Great Hall was listening too. Even Peeves had stopped bouncing rubber balls on the Hufflepuff table in order to hear this confrontation.

"Sinitrovare."

Dumbledore looked shaken, or at least, less grandfatherly than usual. "How do you know of that spell? And how could we perform it?"

"I assume that's rhetorical?" asked Hermione, arching an eyebrow. "The amount of obscure spells I've learned thanks to a certain tournament and a certain study group shouldn't surprise you. I thought the OWL proctors may have mentioned a few... Anyway, the spell is simple, all it requires is someone who can see auras, which we have."

Seeing the blank looks she was receiving from the staff, she rolled her eyes and pointed. "Luna Lovegood? I believe you've met her, seeing as she is the victim here."

"Seeing Auras is a... rare talent Miss Granger. Even if Miss Lovegood does have it, how can she cast it on her own items?" asked Dumbledore, obviously curious.

Luna nudged her. "Umm, Mione? What exactly is this spell?"

In her best know-it-all voice that was loud enough for the whole Great Hall to hear, she began to explain "The Sinitrovare spell allows the caster to trace magical signatures back to the originator by making the magic visible. It is cast by someone who can see auras on someone else's objects. Back in the 16th century, the spell was commonly used in court to prove the origins of a curse or find the owner of an object. If some changes are made, I believe that it could apply here."

"Like what?"

Surprisingly enough, it was Professor Vector who had asked that question. None of the other staff had said anything yet, but the witch couldn't help herself. She knew how talented the witch was in Arithmancy, and was curious as to how she had approached this.

"Finchmen's Principle, combined with the Izantra effect."

"It could work, but only if you- "

"Accounted for the power surges? That can be eliminated by using the Keriole method."

Vector smiled. "That would work wonderfully. Filius, surely there can be no harm in trying?"

Flitwick looked very conflicted. He was afterall, a Ravenclaw, and this idea was something that he could appreciate. "I have full faith in my students, but I want to help Miss Lovegood as well. You can try, as long as I'm the assist."

Dumbledore sighed wearily. "Go on then. I see that I can't stop you."

Luna looked very confused. Hermione patted her arm. "We're just going to show everyone a glimpse of what you see."

"You mean they'll see the Nargles?" asked Luna, brightening up. A snort of contempt cam from behind them, and Hermione turned around and shot the Ravenclaw table a glare. Several of the upperclassmen turned pale.

"I'm not sure what parts they'll see, but its possible. Professor Flitwick, shall we?" The small man began making his way to the front. Hermione leaned in to Luna and whispered "To make this work, I am going to cast the spell while I take use your magic and give you some of mine. Professor Flitwick will be connecting us, and will make sure the flow is even. You won't even notice."

Or at least, that was what she had hoped. It was all a bit hypothetical really. The Arithmancy calculations had worked out, but there was always a 0.7% chance that this might end very badly.

Luna simply smiled at her. "I trust you," she said, hugging Hermione. "Thank you for this."

By then, Flitwick had made his way down. He offered a hand to each girl, and said "Whenever you are ready."

Hermione took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, and cast, pointing at the suspended objects. She heard gasps and whispers coming from all the Great Hall. When she opened her eyes, she saw something that she would never forget.

All of the heavily enchanted parts of the Hall: The ceiling, the tables, the tapestries, were shimmering as the magic became visible. Beams of light had shot from the assortment suspended above her head, in a variety of colors. Each one connected to a student, following their magic. The ones connecting to her were the the strongest since she had cast the spell. It was silvery white, similar to the color of a Patronus. Another set, these in a bright yellow, had connected to Luna. The rest of the beams revealed some truths to those at Hogwarts.

Almost all of the Sixth, Fourth and Fifth year girls had beams connecting them. Several lurid orange beams connected Cho Chang to Luna's books, while her friend Marietta had over a dozen beams in moldy green showing her guilt. Other girls had between one to ten beams attached to them. All in all, about 20 girls were connected to the crime, and only 5 ravens from that group didn't.

Since Flitwick was currently engaged in keeping up the spell, McGonagall decided it was her job to take charge. "All of you were involved in this? Never have I been more disappointed in Ravenclaw. And Miss Chang and Miss Fawcett, as prefects you should have known better. Your status is suspended until further notice, and I have a feeling it may be permanent."

"This is just some stupid prank by Granger! She's just trying to frame us because she's jealous," yelled Marietta, her scowl making her already disfigured face even more strange looking. "She just wants to get us trouble!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed, releasing the spell as she did so. "Be jealous of what? Being so fickle to friends, or for having no courage? Unlike some people, I protect the people I care about, and Luna is one of them." She then turned to face the entire Hall. "You've all just have a tiny peek at Luna's world. You all tease her for having a gift that you all are now envious of."

Professor Flitwick had turned an interesting shade of red in rage, now that he knew what had happened. "All of you, to my office now. We will be investigating the matter thoroughly, and rest assured that every student who has been a part of this will pay the price."

Dumbledore cleared his throat, trying to regain control. "I think that this may be a good time to continue the feast? Since the point count will no doubt change once again, I think that it may be a good idea to wait till tomorrow morning to decide the winner of the house cup. For now, let us continue with the feast." And with that, the Hall burst into noise

Arm in arm, Hermione and Luna walked over to the Gryffindor table, where a place of honor had been cleared for them.

"Way to go Mione!" yelled Lee Jordan amid all the cheers.

Parvati hugged her. "You like, totally showed them!"

Hermione smiled and turned towards Harry. Ron, Ginny and Luna sat across to them, and Neville was on his other side. "I think you've become a bit of an influence on me." she said, elbowing him. Like other meals, The other Gryffindors had cleared a space in the middle of the table for their current heros. This incident had only reaffirmed the status they had earned after the Ministry battle. They were all now listening in to the group.

Harry shot her a grin. "I think you've just become my role model," he said, laughing at the expression on her face.

"Hell yeah!" yelled Ron, "You've punched Malfoy, you've just dissed all the teachers and the Claws, you've gotten rid of Umbridge - You have officially become the most Gryffindor of us all!" Ron's exclamation brought more cheers, and talks of a party began.

Hermione sighed. The spell had taken a lot of energy, and the noise was giving her a headache. Harry, noticing her manner, leaned down and asked "Lets get out of here?"

"Please!"

Harry turned and began whispering to Neville.

Two minutes later, an assortment of Weasley fireworks, left behind in their hasty departure, were creating quite the show. No one noticed the two figures under an invisibility cloak leaving the room.

Hermione smiled and hugged Harry. "Thanks for springing me."

"Anytime. Now, my lady, what shall we do?" he asked, proffering an arm.

"Honestly? I just want to go sit somewhere quiet."

"As you wish." Harry pulled her to the front doors, and pushed them open. He then led her down by the lake to the tree they had been sitting at before. The sky was clear, and reflected on the lake. The two settled down on the grass, and watched in silence.

One of the things that Hermione really appreciated about Harry is that he understood her moods. Talking was the last thing she needed right now, but being here with him was nice. All of the pressure and burdens she had been carrying with her seemed to melt away. She leaned her head against his shoulder, and closed her eyes.

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Something soft brushed on her face. It felt like a feather duster, but that couldn't be right, could it? Hermione opened her eyes, and squinted in the sunlight. A large owl was flapping in front of her. Somehow, she managed to find the willpower to scoot up. A quick look around revealed that she and Harry had dozed off by the lake and never made it back to the tower. She groaned. Explaining what had happened would be unpleasant if the other Gryffindors found out.

Another swat to the head made her realize that ignoring the owl was not her best idea. She quickly untied the letter from the irate owl, which proceeded to squawk angrily before leaving. A quick glance led to a shriek that startled the sleeping boy next to her.

"What? What happened?" said Harry, bolting up. His hair was messier than usual, but his eyes were filled with alarm.

Hermione quickly hid the letter and towards him. "Oh, Merlin, I'm so sorry Harry. I just freaked out when I woke up."

Harry looked around bewildered. Apparently, their location had been too noticeable to him. "Damn, did we fall asleep outside? What time is it?"

A quick tempus showed the answer. "It's only about 7... most of the tower will still be asleep, so we should be able to get back in without them noticing..."

"Alright then. You sure you're okay?"

Hermione smiled. "Never better."

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**Sadly enough, Harry Potter and his world don't belong to me. I wish...**

**I'm so sorry about the late post! Had some internet issues :P Next chapter is one I've been waiting for... A lot of stuff that's been building up. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, etc. Means a lot! I just figured out I could reply to reviews and stuff... Should I? I've never had someone respond to one of my reviews... Let me know :) And I would adore feedback! I felt like my writing was off this chapter, so help would be lovely... Tell me what you love, hate, and otherwise care about...**

**Next chapter in a week or so!**


	7. The Acknowledgment

It is a truth universally acknowledged that trying to keep secrets at Hogwarts rarely worked, and that sooner or later, the rumors would come out, each containing a varying amount of truth. The fact that Harry and Hermione had left the castle and only returned the next morning was quickly found out by the portraits on the ground level, and by breakfast, half the school had found out and was informing the other half.

While rumors were irritating, it wasn't exactly at the forefront of Hermione's be completely honest, Hermione hadn't really minded waking up next to Harry. The opposite, actually. It was the fact that she couldn't tell him what had happened that was still bothering her. Being a know-it-all? That she was used to it. But unlike Dumbledore, manipulating people wasn't her style. Though everything she had done was to help Harry, it kind of felt bad too. At the very least, she had helped Luna. That made things a little better.

Of course breakfast had become even more annoying with the announcement of the House Cup. She honestly didn't think that Gryffindor's victory was much of surprise, seeing that Inquistorial Squad's support of Umbridge had messed up Slytherin's chance of victory, and Ravenclaw had been lost all of their points last night. It essentially had become between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, and Gryffindor's victory in Quidditch made them the winners. It was pretty logical, but strangely enough, most of the lions weren't too bothered with logic. The euphoria from the win seemed to be infectious, especially since since everyone was happy to go home after the rather eventful year. It continued onto the train home, which was at its loudest in all of the trips Hermione had taken on it.

Hermione, unlike pretty much everyone else in their house, was quite content to just watch the chaos caused by the house cup. Quite frankly, there were more important things. She was happy to curl up in the train car with a book. Luna was lying across the seat opposite, attempting a form of meditation from the Quibbler. It involved a rather interesting pose that didn't look very comfortable, but Luna didn't seem to notice any of the chaos around them, so it may have worked. The rest of their friends had been caught up in the excitement. Ron had managed to convince Harry to join in. He hadn't exactly looked excited, but even he was affected by the nostalgia.

This was most likely the last time all of these students would be together, would be safe and happy. They knew how drastically their lives were about to change. Voldemort was back. And with him, he had brought the pain and suffering of the last war. Those of wizarding descent had heard the stories. The muggleborns had learnt the hard way about prejudice over their time at Hogwarts. There were no guarentees. They remembered Cedric. And they knew, deep inside, that not all of them would survive the summer. So, they celebrated. They were enjoying the last vistages of their innocence, having one last day of freedom before it all came crashing down.

Hermione understood this better than most people. But unlike the others, she had been a part of this war since it started. And she needed to do as much research as possible, and get ready for the next stage of her plan.

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"Excuse me?"

Hermione looked up to see a small girl, probably a second year. She had dark hair, but it seemed more like blue then black. She seemed to have changed out of her robes, so Hermione didn't know what house she was either.

"Could I please sit here?"

"Of course you can... Tonks."

The girl laughed, and morphed into a twenty-two year-old. "Alright, I'll bite. How did you know?"

"Easy," she replied, smirking. "Your hair is dark, but its not black. You told me how much you hate having your hair black thanks to your aunt, so it would make total sense for you to make it dark blue. I also know the faces of pretty much every student in this school, and the chance that the one kid I don't know decided to sit here is low. Also, pretty much everyone is kind of scared of me and Luna, but you weren't. It seemed like a good guess."

"Damn, when did you get so good? Even Harry and Ron didn't figure it out."

"To be fair, neither of them are at their best right now," Hermione pointed out.

Tonks laughed hollowly. "Neither are you. None of us are."

"True... Why are you here Tonks?"

"To provide security of course!" said the Auror, smiling half heartedly.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "And no other reason?"

Tonks smirked. "And I thought the old man was exaggerating. Lets just say that our dear Headmaster is a bit shocked about your behaviour, and wanted to check up on you. I agreed to come because I figured it would be a good way to check up on you guys." She smiled sadly. "I remember my first fight, and how I felt afterwards. I know you guys have been dealing with all of kinds of things for years, but this was different."

"It's not the same is it? I think the three of us just grew up quite a bit this year. And we aren't the only ones," Hermione said, looking wistful. "It's been hard, for all of us. At this point, I'm just trying to hold it together for Harry. And the only good thing that has come out of this is the fact that we aren't going to let Albus make decisions for us anymore. Harry's been through too much, and I'm not going to let him get hurt anymore."

"Er, you might want to stop there. I don't want to know anything specific that I would need to report to Albus or the Ministry," said Tonks, keep her face blank.

Hermione inclined her head in agreement. "I don't want to put you in that position."

"Anyways, that isn't the only reason I came. There will be a... debrief of sorts, and you lot need to attend. We'll take you back home after. And I think it's almost time now, isn't it?"

A glance outside the windows showed that Tonks was right. Hermione groaned. "And this couldn't have been done earlier?"

"Come on, let's find the others."

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After collecting Harry, Ron and Ginny, the group discreetly used a portkey to travel from the train. Somehow, Harry managed to knock both Ron and Tonks down when landing, which didn't surprise anyone who knew him. The noise did announce their presence to the others in the room, one that Hermione had never seen before.

"Hello again -"

" - Our favorite family members -"

" - since the two of you -"

"-became honorary Weasley's ages ago."

"Hello Fred, George," responded Hermione, trying not to laugh as the others disentangled themselves. "Er, where are we?"

"These, my dear Hermione, are the temporary headquarters of the Order -"

"Also known as the home Dedalus Diggle."

"I wouldn't recommend touching anything, unless you feel like being pranked though," said a voice behind them.

Bill had come up behind them, holding a stack of parchment. His hair had changed from it's normal vivid red to eye-catching pattern of pink and green stripes.

Hermione laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

Bill grinned. "Well, unfortunately, you all will have to wait a bit more. Not everyone had shown up yet, and there's going to be an Order meeting before we talk to you."

She gave him her most innocent look and said "Well, we can say hi to everyone in the mean time, no?"

He shrugged, and began to lead them through the adjoining hallway. Hermione discreetly moved next to Harry, who looked very pensive. She slipped her hand into his, and gave it a light squeeze."

He looked at her, and she smiled and whispered, "You can do this Harry."

He gave her a hesitant smile back before straightening up and following Bill through the door. They came to large dinner table, which looked much more worn and comfortable then the formal one they had used at Grimmauld Place.

They were immediately attacked by Mrs. Weasley, who hugged them each forcefully. The others followed suit, and started talking to them. Hermione caught Remus' eye, and tilted her head towards Harry. The Marauder seemed to understand her silent que and quickly pulled him into corner. Hermione let her herself be pulled into conversation with Hestia, who was one of the few in the Order who liked researching more than being rash. Ron, Ginny, and the other Weasleys were caught up in a debate about Quidditch. More members were filing in, and eventually, everyone seemed to have shown up.

Remus, having finished having a heart to heart with Harry, cleared his throat. "I think we can start now, everyone seems to be here."

got up and said "Well, I'll show you kids where you can stay."

Hermione opened her mouth, but before she had said anything, another voice rang out.

"And why can't we stay?"

Ron pushed himself off the wall and walked over to where she and Harry were standing. "I don't think you all can honestly stop us from being here."

"Now, don't be absurd," stated an old wizard they didn't know. "You're only kids!"

"I've been dealing with Voldemort since I was 11," retorted Ron. "We all have a right to be here."

"Well, we realize that Ron, but you aren't of age yet." responded .  
"Do you think Voldemort might accept that answer? Maybe he'll wait till after our NEWTs?" argued Ron, his tone surprisingly even. "We have been fighting for years. You can't say we aren't in danger, because after Harry and the Headmaster, I'm pretty sure Hermione and I are next in line as far as "screwing his plans" goes. And Ginny has more than earned her right to be in this room. You can't say we haven't been affected, when he's screwed up our lives for the past five years. We need to know this stuff. The DOM battle could have been prevented. We've faced him as much as many of you, and we've seen death. You can't argue that we're kids, and that we can't handle this. You don't know what Harry's been dealing with, and what we've helped him with. We haven't been kids for awhile. You all may have fought in the last war, but we've been dealing with this one for the long a time. This is our fight now too."

Once Ron finished his monologue, a stunned silence fell over the room. Hermione was wondering if maybe those brains had done something to change Ron's, since the boy seemed to have matured quite a bit. Then again, fighting for your life and seeing someone you care about die would do that.

"The boy's right."

Everyone turned to the corner where the gruff voice had come from. Moody stared back, his eye moving strangely. "This is their fight too," he said, echoing Ron.

"Welcome to the Order."

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AN: All of this belongs to JKR. I'm just messing with them.

Okay, so I'm very sorry about the lack of updates! I have been recovering from a concussion for the past few weeks, and this was honestly the first time I could post. I promise to keep up with regular updates now that I'm better(ish).

The next chapter is one that I've been looking forward to. I'm very excited. The string of impassioned speeches are done now for a little while too. I'd also love some feedback, please? You all are my only source of feedback for my writing, and it's very helpful. They'll help my injured head recover quicker :)


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